Bit of history here. It started off life at Redheads in Homebush and finished its retail life at Outstanding Wines in Toongabbie. It's held Grange, Hill of Grace, Graveyard and many far better buys.
The joy of Riverina wine producers is that they consistently underprice their wines and they maintain this policy when they venture away from home turf. 
I'd been waiting for this wine for quite some time now. I didn't know what it would be or where it would come from but I knew I needed something new and inspirational to add to the portfolio of reds that I'd been raving about for some time now. We had the shiraz market covered with Lunatiq and Stephen John but I wanted something a little older and Cabernet based. And so it came .......
The 2010 vintage has just scored one of the rare 5* ratings in Winestate's 7th "World's Greatest Syrah/Shiraz Challenge [September/October 2012 issue]. Over 700 wines from around the world were assessed by 16 high profile winemakers, oenologists and an industry icon [Wolfgang Blass]. Their notes on the 2010 vintage were "Huge Christmas cake-like aromas with lovely earthy notes. Powerful oak driven palate but there is an excellent balance of tarry, cherry and raspberry flavours showing through." They could have been writing about this 2008 vintage which we have the last few dozen of. The only significant difference is that 2008 is probably a better wine than the 2010. Very highly recommended.
This is NOT your full-on Central Otago style. It's much more gamey with a soft seductive front palate that leads into plenty of power at the back. Very complex and one that should be gobbled up by fans of this style. Apparently under its producer's label it wholesales at $23 a bottle.
Now here's a curio - it's a Haselgrove wine that isn't a bargain bin-end deleted label. It's just a regular run of the mill extreme bargain. I've frequently documented my disinterest in this style/variety and this one just emphasises how boring most of the others are. Its back label describes it perfectly "lively, zesty and fresh, showing elegant characters of nashi pear, white peach and a hint of grapefruit." This is a truly delicious crisp dry white that is a perfect alternative to sauvignon blanc. It's light and delicate yet offers delicious fruit character. Very highly recommended.
It seems like forever that I've been raving about Tyrrell's Rufus Stone wines. They were the subject of my favourite ever newsletter " When Wally whacked Willy" and I acknowledge that part of the attraction is my New Forest heritage. But far more important is their consistent overdelivery which ranges from the satisfying to the extreme. Both the 2010 releases fall into the extreme category. In fact they share plenty in common: same winemaker, grape, vintage and alcohol. Only the region and the taste vary. The Heathcote is more seductive with an enticing berry fruit flavour that lingers to the end of an infinitely long palate while chocolate mocha dominates the McLaren Vale. Personally I'd be buying six of each, failing to decide which one is the favourite and then grabbing as much as the budget will allow. These are seriously undervalued wines.
The first beer to ever appear on this webblog and it's got Mango in it. Now that IS outstanding! It's brewed in Broome along with a Ginger Beer and a couple of more traditional styles but for me this is the star. On one hand it's like West Coast Cooler on steriods but it has the class and quality of Belgian fruit beers to make it a serious brew. And yes, there's no mistaking the mango content and yet it's dry and satisfying. It's expensive but it probably deserves to be with the supplier having a clear policy of not offering any discounts and there is of course that freight issue from Broome.
Can't believe I'm raving about a French rose but once I tasted it there was no escape. It's as pretty as it looks with lovely floral aromatics and a pleasing degree of sweetness. Chill it right down and enjoy with a summer picnic
I tasted this and ordered it on the spot. An outstanding red that totally overdelivers at this price which thankfully is why the rep showed it to me. And then I did a little research and found the producer's notes on their website. It's nice to be one of a selected few: "The 2010 Cabernet Merlot has also won Top Gold at Winewise and finished a gallant second in the trophy taste off. This wine has also received 95 points from James Halliday and 3 gold medals. This wine is now limited to cellar door, online through our website and at a few selected outlets around Australia."
